ICOMO Advertising To Produce Its First Feature Film

Mumbai, India (PressExposure) December 17, 2011 -- ICOMO, an eleven-year old full-fledged Mumbai based ad agency, is all set to take on its first feature film project. Having provided integrated marketing solutions to clients like IMS Learning Resources, ICICI Bank, Cipla, Wockhardt, DISHA- Financial Counselling, etc., the agency sees feature films as yet another challenging and exciting mode of communication.

The feature film is based on the truly inspiring biopic of Manjunath Shanmugam, an IIM-Lucknow alumnus and sales officer at Indian Oil Corporation, who was murdered by the oil mafia in Lakhimpur Kheri (UP) for his protest against fuel adulteration.

Critically acclaimed in the international circles for their work, the agency's belief of creating communication that makes a difference, not just for its client but also the society at large, is what led them to take on the Manjunath project. The agency was first approached by the Manjunath Shanmugam Trust to help them create awareness about Manju's story and the RTI helpline - through posters, press ads, audio visuals, etc. While working on this project, Sandeep A. Varma, Filmmaker and Managing Director of ICOMO, felt Manju's story was inspiring enough to be filmed.

The idea of the film was selected as one of the eight movies to be co-produced by National Film Development Corporation (NFDC). It was showcased during the annual Film Bazaar organized by the NFDC and was also selected to be a part of the 39th International Film Festival organized by the Rotterdam Lab. The movie is now being co-produced by NFDC and ICOMO Production.

After two years of relentless research, the story of Manjunath has taken to reel. The shooting of the film began on 2nd October in Mumbai and continued in Lucknow. "Shooting in Lucknow was a big challenge since the adulteration mafia is active. But we wanted to maintain the authenticity of the film, which I believe will be the biggest draw among young audience, along with the fact that Manjunath was only 27 when he was killed", says director Sandeep A. Varma. Exclusive permission was also taken from IIM-L to shoot scenes covering Manju's college life.

Though 80 percent of the filming has been completed, the agency has decided to keep the identity of the actor playing Manjunath under wraps. They have, however, revealed an eclectic cast of renowned actors like Seema Biswas, Yashpal Sharma, Divya Dutta, Rajesh Khattar and the likes. Delhi-based rock band Parikrama has also been signed on to compose the background score and music for the film.